Chapter 12
Walter entered the house, put his laptop on the kitchen counter and opened it to check for mail- nothing. He set up the coffee and got it started and sat at the kitchen counter staring at the screen of his laptop. When the coffee was ready, he poured a cup, sat back and resumed staring at the screen. He got up and prowled around the house only to return to the kitchen to sit and stare at the screen. He was startled when the alert for new mail chimed- from Ralph!
Walter-I am OK, sorry for it taking so long. Somehow three of us at school were brought into contact with some drugs. All three of us were messed up, but all are of and back home now. Mom was really freaked out. Sure don't see why people do that deliberately to themselves- to mess with their minds like that. Will be fine for coming to the garage Saturday. The school is investigating on how we were contaminated- someone was very careless. Send me some problems to see if my gray matter is still OK- sure was scary for a while- Ralph
Walter was stunned, then anger crept in. Ralph could have died and not one person let him know. No one contacted him for help. He hit the reply.
Ralph- no one let me know or I would have been there. I didn't know. Let me know if there is anything you want or need- why didn't you let me know? I would have been there, could have helped the investigation, gotten homeland involved- something rather than agonized not knowing what was going on. Where did you go? I checked hospitals, police. How are you feeling? Walter
Walter took his laptop into the computer room in case Ralph wrote again. He got to work on Richard's banking job. Twelve hours later the job was as done as it could be without the specific parameters from the bank division of the financial sector. He poured cold coffee into his long empty cup and put it in the microwave to heat up and returned to the computer room to work on the computer modeling for the proposed booster design modifications. Six hours later he printed out a hard copy. He made a new file, dumped all the info in it and sent it to John Abbott, head of Richard's space division. He rose, took his laptop to the kitchen and sat at the counter to send a message to Ralph.
Ralph- I gave you time to sleep and recover through the night. I wish I could see you to ease my mind, but will wait for Saturday. To keep you occupied, here are the problems I had on the board for you last Saturday- Walter
He say looking at the computer for a while, mind in complete turmoil. Ralph could have died- the drugs on the street these days are lethal. Police risk over-dosing just collecting evidence. Ralph could have DIED before anyone let him know. How long would it have taken for someone to call, come to the garage, send a message. Anything. Yet he had been left totally in the dark. His thoughts wandered all over- why did he continue to show loyalty to his former team members when he obviously is last in their mind even in an emergency concerning Ralph, knowing how important and central to Walter's life. He keeps saying he has no emotions, if he really believes that why does he continually look to others for any so-called emotional support, comradery? He more than once has said he does not need anyone, yet again and again he seeks out their approval….. and rarely gets it. He is an incredibly smart person, 197IQ, three PhD's, eidetic memory, design capabilities, and computer genius continually hampering himself to get a little attention, appreciation from those who do not return the friendship, care, sense of family. Why does he continually endeavor to attain what is, or what by now after all these years, should be obvious is unattainable. To his parents, teachers, neighbors he was nothing but a failure- laughed at, ridiculed, dismissed. The US government used him in his youth to leave him with the responsibility for thousands of dead and the resulting nightmares he has to this day. Homeland cases conducted the past few years have left him scarred and appearing to be just another tooth in the cogs of governmental bureaucracy, no merit, of little consequence. I gave Happy a home and friendship, Sylvester understanding and a place of refuge, Toby a safe haven. I gave Paige all the love I could find in my heart only to be chastised, degraded, left with no regard. Thirty-four years old, 197 IQ, three PhD's and STILL doing the same thing over and over- the definition of insanity. I say I don't need anyone, it is time I Show I do not need anyone. The 'need for people' is a self-destructive mental state that must be rectified. Paige said he was fifteen so it is time he grew up. There is work, there is science, there is giving instruction. There is no longer any reason why, at his age, he should try working with Homeland, risk life and limb- isn't he scarred up enough? Physically as well as mentally? The time has come for another change of course, tack away from personal involvement, petty criminal chasing cases and end this madness of trying to be 'normal'. Paige once said 'yeah you're weird' but that is you'- time to own up to it and relish the difference. He finally shook himself and gave up on the introspection after hours of sitting. Finally realizing how tired he was, he stripped down to boxers and went to bed while Rex curled up on the chair. Again after finally sleeping an hour or so, the tossing and mumbling started and Rex jumped on the bed and barked to wake him from the nightmare. Once again he got up, went to the kitchen and gave Rex a cookie then went to the pool to do a few laps with Rex trotting alongside. When he got out, dried off, changed and went back to bed for the rest of the night to sleep peacefully.
Adam and Sue knew Walter was at the house but have seen nothing of him.
"No one should be holed up like that for that long," Sue said over dinner. "No one has visited him since he has lived here. He did at least one mission with the Seals according to Jim and Simon, how is it he has no support from them? All that flying to the east with Richard for some scientific hoo-ha how come no professors, students or reporters come around?"
"All I have gleaned from checking around I that he was under contract with Homeland. Then what Jim had to say, and what is a big surprise? I find he is a naturalized citizen- not born here. Mission with Seals is military outside the US; Homeland is inside the US. Very strange set of circumstances, especially since nothing can be found before this scientific hoo-ha as you say that just happened in the past couple of months." Adam said. "Definitely a mystery, but still looking."
Friday morning Walter awoke, got the coffee going then took a shower. Dressed in boxers he poured some coffee, opened his laptop and checked for mail to see a message from Laura.
Walter- Thought I would give you time to settle. I went to the Mozart concert again Saturday- I do love Mozart- but it was not as enjoyable as the Thursday concert with you. Should you ever have occasion to be in Boston again, give me a heads up notice to clear my schedule. There is so much in Boston I would like to share with you. On to business: Minkowski space in mathematical physics the new cosmological constant you devised in your Reinler theorem solution holds true for calculating the rate of Hawking radiation and the 'fading' of black holes. There may be many more far reaching conclusions to be made with this constant in the calculations. Congratulations. Laura
Walter sat thinking about the theory of Hawking radiation emitted by black holes when it was a given that nothing escaped. The 'fading' of black holes has been proven by the math and is an interesting theoretical sector still being worked by mathematicians around the world. Could be an interesting line of research- certainly of more interest than chasing criminals and trouble-shooting issues for Homeland. Plus, working for Richard's space division, who knows getting into the theoretical could be a big push for future space exploration. Richard, with his wanting to get people to Mars is more the nuts and bolts of the space exploration endeavors. But everything starts with theory; the theoretical gives the nuts and bolts guy a goal they engineer the practical to get there. Being a conduit between the theoretical and nuts and bolts could be very exciting and exceptionally satisfying. Be on the true cutting edge of actually getting man to Mars and, who knows, in Ralph's prime, maybe beyond.
He started to compose a reply to Laura on black hole mechanics before and after the event horizon. It was becoming evident Collin's grabbing him and stuffing him in that cellar for seventeen days set his life on a different course. He also thought of Laura and Toby's comment on the CIA skunk works tech- a woman who is smart AND good looking.
Friday night Walter headed to the garage in the Ferrari to get everything set up for Ralph's visit in the morning and went to sleep in the loft.
Saturday morning with the coffee brewing Walter was working some checks on his banking program when Ralph entered.
"WALTER!"
"Hey, buddy. How you feeling?" He said while getting up to give Ralph a hug. "Any aftermath problems? And concerns? Where were you getting medical attention- I checked hospitals within a hundred mile radius."
"We were at Richard's clinic- best private medical in the area."
"Richard's clinic? That is private for employees, not general public. That is where you…. were…. taken… " Walter paused in his musing….. "your mother is working for Richard?"
"Yeah, didn't you know? So is Happy and Sylvester since you referred them. Mom worked for him before, remember? When everyone was in the waiting room at the hospital when you crashed the car- he came in to check on you and asked them if they wanted to work in his think tank. They didn't at the time, but without you the team was a lost cause as Centipede. Since you work with Richard I thought you knew."
"No, didn't know. Who brought you today?"
"Toby."
"I should have realized when Happy was at the track- 'company outing' Richard had said." Walter quietly said. "Genius and didn't put two and two together." Louder he said, "the problems are on the board, let's get started."